SHARE

Art Of The Northeast Enjoys Run At New Canaan's Silvermine

NEW CANAAN, Conn. -- Art of the Northeast 2015, an exhibit curated by Michelle Grabner and Brad Killam, is running through July 26 at the Silvermine Arts Center in New Canaan. 

Grabner and Killam, both artists, critics and teachers, are the first co-curators as well as the first husband-and-wife team to curate the popular event, which is the Silvermine’s signature competition. 

Grabner, a professor in the Painting and Drawing Department at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, was also one of three curators of the 2014 Whitney Biennial and its first artist curator.

Killam teaches art at the College of DuPage in Illinois and has exhibited his work widely. His essays have appeared in national and international journals.

Grabner and Killam often collaborate on works of art and are equally known for the two artist project spaces they established: The Suburban, located in the backyard of their Oak Park, Ill., home, and The Poor Farm in Waupaca County, Wis., established in 2009 on the site of a 19th-century county poor farm. 

They bring a national perspective to a competition that draws from all over the Northeastern United State. This year’s competition has brought in entries from every state from Maine to Washington, D.C.

The work submitted this year is “very strong,” says Silvermine Gallery Director Jeffrey Mueller, who also noted a healthy showing from M.F.A. programs and a total of more than 500 artists submitting, many with multiple entries.

Begun in 1949 as the "New England Exhibition," the competition was founded by Silvermine Guild Members Miriam Brody and Revington Arthur to showcase the art of the region. Over the years, the exhibit has presented works by emerging and under-known artists, giving them a platform to reach a much larger audience than ever before.

The winner receives a top prize of $3,000 and a solo exhibition at Silvermine Arts Center. All three galleries at the Silvermine Arts Center are used for this prestigious exhibition, which is the focal point of the Center’s calendar.

The Silvermine Arts Center, on a 5-acre campus in New Canaan, is one of the oldest artist communities in the United States. The Silvermine Galleries are open Wednesdays through Saturdays from noon to 5 p.m. and Sundays from 1 to 5 p.m. For more information, call 203-966-­9700 ext. 20 or visit the website at www.silvermineart.org.  

to follow Daily Voice New Canaan and receive free news updates.

SCROLL TO NEXT ARTICLE